Geo+BINGO

=Geo BINGO= by Alexandra Allen

Purpose
This actvitity takes a geographical spin on the traditional BINGO ice breaker. Players must ask othe people the questions on the BINGO card. Each of the five columns on the gameboard relates to one of the five geography themes: 1) region, 2) location, 3) place, 4) movement, and 5) human-environmental interaction. The game, therefore, serves two purposes: to encourage communication among people and to cause critival thinking in a geography based conversation.

Time Required
This activity takes 20-25 minutes to complete.

Number of Participants
15-30 participants are needed for this activity to be completed successfully.

Supplies Needed
The facilitator will need to provide participants with a copy of the Geo BINGO card. Participants will need a pen or pencil.

Preparation
The facilitator will need to prepare enough copies of the Geo BINGO card for all participants.

Introduction
Facilitator: Today we will be getting up out of our seats and getting to know our fellow participants better. The goal of this activity is to walk around and ask your peers the questions on this BINGO card. Once you fibd someone who can answer the question write their name down and move on to another question and another person. Once you fill in five boxes in a row yell out "Geo BINGO!".

Process
The facilitator will pass out copies of the BINGO card while the participanrs get out a pen or pencil. After a brief explanation by the facilitator, te participants will begin the activity. They must walk around and ask their peers the questions on their card. If they find someone who can answer the question, the player writes that person's name in the box and moves on to another person. Once the player has filled five boxes in a row with names she must yell out "Geo BINGO!".

Debrief
The facilitator will want participants to work in pairs or small groups to identify which columns relate to the five themes of geography based on the relationships among the questions in each column.

Credits
This activity was given to me by Dr. Emily Schell for use in presentations given to preservice teachers at San Diego State University.